70,000 vets still have chance to gain 'retiree' status

11:52 AM,
Oct. 31, 2013

Tom Philpott

Written by

Tom Philpott
Military Columnist

About 70,000 disabled veterans who served on active duty after 9/11, and were medically discharged with disability ratings of 20 percent or less, still have a shot to gain "retiree" status, with base shopping privileges and lifetime eligibility to TRICARE for them and families.

The catch is they have to know about this opportunity and to apply.

Applying is a breeze. Notifying eligible veterans they can apply is the greater challenge. Efforts to reach many of them by mail have been delayed. ...